why does black absorb more heat than white

When light comes to us from the sun, we call it "white light" because it contains all the visible light spectrum colors available, those being red, orange, yellow, green, blue indigo, and violet. P All these colors combine to make white light. P We know this because we can take a prism and shine white light through it, and it will break the light up into the individual colors that make it up. Objects that are black are absent of any of the visible light spectrum colors. P So when those objects are radiated upon by light, none of the individual wave lengths are reflected. P They are all absorbed, which translates to increased heat and temperature. Conversely, items that are white or light colored, reflect most, if not all the wavelengths contained in the visible light spectrum. P So they are reflected away from that object, which translates into same heat, same temperature. So when you go outside, if it is hot, wear light-colored clothing; it will absorb less of the sun's radiation. P If it is cold, wear dark-colored clothing; it will absorb more of the sun's radiation.

Of course, this becomes complicated and changes if wind and tightness or looseness of clothing are factors. Just think of all the white animals with fluffy fur or feathers in the Arctic and Antarctic.When you think of the, what comes to mind? Long stretches of with breaking upon the hot grains of? Bright rays of reflecting off a river bank as you fish? tall pine trees on your way to a lake? If those or similar images came to mind, you might have also pictured yourself or friends and family members. Did you think about what you were wearing? If you pictured your favorite summer scene, there's a good chance the clothes people were wearing were white or a similar light, cool. Why don't we black or dark clothing with summer? Why are white and other light colors the summer shades? Although it might seem like the answer has to do with, it's actually science that makes white and lighter colors more in the hot summer months.

In fact, you've probably been told at some point in your life to avoid wearing black when it's hot out, because black absorbs heat. Is there any truth to that? Or is it simple an old wives'? If it was an old wife who told you that, guess what? She was somewhat right! Black clothing absorbs more light and that, in turn, gets converted to more heat. But why is that? It can all be explained by the science of light, heat, and energy. To understand the heat absorption properties of black clothing, we must first understand why such clothing appears black in the first place. The color of a shirt is determined by which wavelengths of light get reflected back from that object. When light hits an object, that light (known as white light) contains all visible wavelengths of light. A red shirt will thus appear red because it absorbs all of the wavelengths of light except for red, which it reflects back to our eyes. A white shirt reflects all of the wavelengths of light back to our eyes, absorbing none of them.

A black shirt, on the other hand, absorbs all of the wavelengths of light, reflecting none of them back to our eyes. As a black shirt absorbs all of the light that hits it, it converts that light into other forms of energy, usually heat. It then emits that heat, some into the and some directly into your skin. This is why people advise against wearing black or dark clothing on hot days, since it can make you hotter as it absorbs light and emits heat. White shirts have the. Since they absorb no light, they don't convert any of it to heat. This makes white or lighter-colored clothing cooler to wear in the summer. Of course, while there's a scientific basis for the claim that black clothing absorbs light and converts it to heat, you might not really notice much of a difference between a white shirt and a black shirt on any given summer day. Many other factors, including and wind, factor into how warm you feel on a day, no matter what color shirt you may be wearing!